Words of Power

by Starscribe

Chapter 23

I still can't believe I'm doing this. Lotus stared out the shadowy windows of her old pickup. As insane as this plan was, they'd still made it all the way out here, a short run from the gas station.

Now the QuikTrip lights glowed against a foggy night, joined only by the occasional flash of headlights blazing along the highway. Almost no one stopped, and seconds turned into minutes of relatively uninterrupted peace.

"The longer we sit here, the more time for somebody to roll up," Gus said. The truck was off already, pulled around so it faced away from the gas station. Hopefully that would mean a quick getaway, once they actually finished with the supply run. Not that any of them expected the single tired clerk on duty to chase after a few mythical creatures that came by at night for snacks. "Unless you think you're going to get that illusion spell in the next few minutes, we should go now."

She stared down at the spellbook for another few seconds, lit only by her horn against the dark car. The spell was far simpler than the Worldgate she spent all her time perfecting—but simpler didn't mean related. Expecting to master this in a few minutes was a bit like thinking knowing how to fix her car would also prepare her to assemble firearms from scratch.

She snapped the book closed, then settled it into her satchel. Carrying it would mean less weight of supplies—but leaving it sitting in the car to get snatched by some unseen servant of Searing seemed worse. If she lost the book now, when she was so close to getting them to Equestria...

"It can't be that dangerous." Iron stared back through the windows, before sliding down into the passenger seat beside her again. "It's the middle of the night. You already said there's not more than one pony inside this late. What are you afraid of?"

Gus hopped out of the truck, prompting the others to follow. They left the door cracked open, ready for them to jump inside and escape when the time came. Gus distributed their empty bags; with straps he had modified into awkward saddlebags.

They wouldn't be comfortable for any kind of long trip and might not even stay attached if they ran. But they wouldn't have to last long, only about 500 meters from the gas station to the truck.

She stiffened as he reached her, tucking her tail firmly between her legs, and breathing in sharply. He had the “hands” to tie the straps into place. He was still Gus; the same one Eric had grown up with. But if she asked him to have Iron do it, that would probably just make it worse.

That was when she noticed the camera strapped to his head. Her horn lit up, bright enough that his catlike pupils narrowed suddenly to thin lines. "Why the hell are you recording this?"

He backed away from her, eyes fixed on the horn. "Easy, Lotus. I just want a record. People need to know what we're doing. This isn't an attack; we're going to a store to buy food. This shows how safe we are. And... it's part of my plan."

He stood up straight, then moved forward with a few jerky, mechanical footsteps. "Hello sir. We are... not animatronics. We are real. Yes. Alive. Please allow us to... purchase... snacks. Thank you."

He relaxed, spinning so fast his tail lifted a cloud of dust along the dirt road. "I'm telling you, the camera effect is real, Lotus. We run in shouting, and they run away in terror. But if we give somebody anything they can use to cling on to their beliefs about how the world ought to be, then suddenly we're not so scary. It's a social experiment."

He finished with Iron's bags, faster than with hers. Finally, the three set off down the dirt road. They walked close together, beside a drainage ditch. If they saw headlights, they could always jump down and hide.

"You seriously think that will work?" she asked. She was whispering now, but with animal senses she had no doubt she would still be heard. "Pretend to be robots? It's just a prank bro?"

He nodded. "If there's just one person inside... yeah. People by themselves are different than people in a group. Just remember the plan and play along."

"I didn't fully understand your... plan," Iron admitted. "Could you explain it simpler for me? With fewer concepts I don't know?"

Gus gestured with one of those wings, or tried. He'd wrapped bags over them, with straps binding down tight. "Sure. We go in. I go to the front and give him money, you two take your bags to the staples aisle and pack everything you can into those saddlebags. If it goes well, I'll use the ATM while you're doing that, then join you. We have to bet on highway patrol taking 10 minutes to get here after the clerk calls, if they take him seriously. That means we have 5 minutes to be in and out, so we're away by then."

"And if they say no?" Lotus prompted. Without a word, all three stopped at the edge of light, where the covered roof of the gas station filled the space around its pumps with even white. One more step, and they would enter into that light, and the view of its many security cameras. "We just leave?"

"No." Gus held something up in one claw—his wallet. "I'm just going to throw cash at them. We aren't asking for permission."

"It seems... reckless, desperate, and stupid," Iron finished. "But between this and eating grass, I'll take a little bravery. Maybe not if the two of you could survive on grazing."

Neither of them had given that suggestion much consideration, despite his insistence that "ponies did it all the time." They wouldn't start today.

"No lights coming down the highway... go!" Gus shouted. Despite the urgency in his voice, he didn't run. They walked briskly to the station doors, rather than the desperate gallop Lotus wanted. Calm was key—if they couldn't keep level heads, the clerk never could.

Lotus had spent basically every second of her time since her transformation hiding from civilization. Tents, campsites, and abandoned buildings did little to remind her of how inhuman she was. But walking into a gas station was different.

This was no empty ruin, or house she'd seen so many times that she never really saw any of what it contained. The gas station might be empty now, but it was still well used, the floors clean, shelves stocked, and music playing from the speakers.

They towered over Lotus and the other nonhuman intruders. From her perspective, she might as well be a small child, at eye level with the sugary sweets and colorful candy wrappers.

The attendant wasn't even watching them at first. She couldn't be out of high school yet, a teenager with messy brown hair arranged in no particular way. She perched on the cigarette shelf behind the counter, staring down at her phone. Could she even hear them come in with the earbuds?

"Food, Lotus, remember?" Iron nudged Lotus's shoulder, startling her into movement again. A camera aimed right down at them from overhead, showing two vaguely horse-things and a giant bird. This was really happening, and there would be permanent evidence of it this time. But maybe there already was? Several of her neighbors had cell phones pointed in their direction when they escaped!

Lotus stumbled past the aisles, then broke into a trot. She passed the shelves of cheap phones and other electronic accessories, ignored stacks of firewood and beer, before finally reaching the small grocery section in back. Without a word, she unzipped Iron's saddlebags, and started floating things inside. Cans of soup, a few packs of ramen, dried milk, flour, every can of chicken or tuna they had...

Generic country music played over the speakers, the only interruption to the gradual hum of the air conditioner and the occasional rustle of merchandise. Maybe they could get everything they needed without having to talk to anyone. After all the bad luck Lotus had suffered, she had to be overdue for a break, right?

A sharp scream broke the silence, high and painful. Something heavy smacked into the ground. Lotus looked up, but now there were shelves between her and the front. At her size, she couldn't see any of it.

But she could hear Gus, speaking clearly and calmly. Deliberately robotic in fact, though to her ears there was no mistaking it for an act. "Ma'am. Here is cash. My friends and I are... making a small purchase of food. Please do not be alarmed."

"What the hell are you?" she screamed. "Get away from me!"

Iron nudged her again, more urgently. "Your bags too. We might need it."

She nodded, moving more quickly now. She zipped up Iron's backpacks, then started tossing things in with less care. She ran along the row, selecting an entire shelf of jerky, crackers, dried fruit, a dozen different colors of novelty licorice...

"There's three hundred on the counter," Gus said. His mechanical act was already abandoned, instead matching the attendant for volume and panic. "We just want food, that's all! We'll be gone in a second."

Feet hammered on hard floors, then a door slammed shut. Lotus's ears perked, and she imagined she could even hear the little beeps of each dial sound. Three, then a voice so terrified she couldn't make out the words through the wall.

She didn't have to—Lotus knew exactly what was happening.

"Time to go!" Gus emerged from around the corner. His bag was open now, filled with plain rectangular boxes from the electronics section. "I want to use the ATM, but I'm thinking that might not be such a good idea."

"You think?" Lotus levitated a selection of anything remotely edible into Gus's open bags, then zipped those closed too. "So much for the social experiment!"

They hurried back towards the front. As they did, a door cracked open, just far enough for Lotus to see a face inside. A teenager, eyes wide with panic, aiming her phone through the opening like a gun.

Lotus spun on her, stopping in place. "We don't want to hurt you!" she called. "We're desperate, that's all! Trying to reverse this curse and be human again! We're not a threat!"

Iron tugged at her foreleg, pulling her through the open doorway. Out in the crisp air of night, she felt a new surge of urgency, driving her away from the store. Or maybe that was the shining streetlights, turning off the highway. A huge truck, pulling two trailers of cargo.

"I left a letter with the money," Gus said, urging them faster. The other two set a healthy pace, much faster than she could match with all that weight on their shoulders. But it wasn't a fair comparison, not when they were both a head taller and far more muscular! "Pick up the pace! We don't know where the nearest highway patrol will be!"

"I'm going as fast as I can! Try this as a chick, see how you do!"

Gus sped up, leaping up into the open doorway and starting the engine.

Iron remained nearby, urging her forward. Something tore on her side, along with a sharp pain, and moisture trickling down. So much for clean healing.

"Almost there, Lotus. You're doing fine." Iron stopped beside the open door. "Get yours off. No time for mine."

Right. Lotus tugged on the buckles with her magic, until the bag slipped sharply to one side. She heaved it into the trunk with all her magical force, feeling her hooves dig into the ground under her as she did. She took another second to feel the weight of her satchel, confirming Searing's tome was still with her.

Then she jumped, squeezing into the well below Gus's legs. "I've been thinking about this part. You know—with magic, I could probably drive by myself! We wouldn't need to pass instructions back and forth."

"Really?" Gus glanced down at the pedals, then flopped backwards into the backseat. He landed hard, pinned by the weight of the huge saddlebags. "Let's see!"

Iron hopped up into the seat beside her, squeezing hurriedly into the passenger seat.

Lotus slammed the door closed with another burst of magic, then hopped up, bracing her forelegs on the wheel. She touched out more tentatively for the pedals, horn glowing steadily now.

They jerked forward, spraying bits of grass and gravel up into the air. Gus gasped, and Iron smacked painfully into the door.

"Sorry!" She kept accelerating even so, all screeching tires and rumbling engine. Her old pickup was no getaway vehicle, nor some heavily modified performance machine. She brought them slowly up to speed, accelerating along the road.

Good thing this was the middle of the night, because she swerved into what would've been the other lane at least once.

Lotus still remembered how to drive. But the physical act of driving had almost nothing in common when she did it this way—every turn threatened to dislodge her from the wheel, which she could only control with pressure from either side. Her magic let her reach the pedals, but not feel through them, so that feedback of the car against the road was strangely absent.

Finally, she heard her first siren. It was very faint, somewhere far away along the highway. Even so, Gus spoke from behind her, urgent. "Slow down and kill the headlights. We can't let them see us pulling in.

Because it isn't hard enough to see what we're doing. She obeyed even so, cutting off the cruise control. Only when they were already moving at a much-reduced speed did she finally cut the lights. Even knowing the road was entirely straight, that sudden total darkness brought a wave of panic.

She released her magic from the accelerator, slowly coasting to a stop on the road. Sirens were so distant now she could only hear them faintly over the steady hum of her engine.

"It's okay, Lotus." Something wrapped around her from the side—Iron's wing. That brought his scent—some of her same panic, but also far greater calm. He was a soldier, one brave enough to volunteer to fight against evil sorceresses from ancient legend.

A bumpy road in the dark and a low-speed chase wouldn't be that difficult for him. "You're doing great. This feels close... isn't it? The hideout was just up a hill from here."

She nodded, then turned slowly. She must've gone over the edge of the road at least once, because the tires sank, then came back up again, skidding for a second on pavement.

Her eyes adjusted quickly, quicker than she might’ve expected. The road itself was a stark black line against the night, and the half-destroyed asylum a beacon she could focus on.

Gus hopped out the side, opening a rusty fence for her. She pulled into the underground parking lot, lighting her headlights again to guide her into its most distant corner.

Her hooves shook as she finally pulled into position, and her bumper tapped lightly against the wall. She sighed, shifting into park. Then she collapsed, slumping sideways into Iron. She closed her eyes, heart still pounding in her chest.

Her mind raced in a thousand anxious directions. Any minute now the police would smash through the gate, maybe gun them all down. It didn't matter if they were actually dangerous to anyone. No one would hear them, only the threat they represented mattered.

"I... really shouldn't have practiced on Gus," she whispered, breathless. "If he was still human..."

The pegasus reached down, brushing a few discordant strands of mane from her face. "I'm told it's impolite to say, 'I told you so.'" He said nothing further, just looking down with a mixture of smugness and something softer.

"Don't have to rub it in."

He grinned. "I could do something else. Like—"

Gus banged on the car door with a claw, harsh and echoing. "Fake lock is on outside! But I need your help covering the car, just in case. Then we have to get this crap upstairs. Job's not over yet!"

Lotus stiffened, then levitated the keys from the ignition. She tucked them away beside the book, then hopped out. "You think they won't follow us here?"

He settled a headlamp onto his head in place of the camera, then twisted it on. Bright light blinded her, making Lotus recoil. "No idea. If they do, let's not make it easy for them. Wanna carry stuff up?"

Iron hopped out beside her, spreading both wings as he did so. Maybe it was instinct but covering her side that way—felt possessive, almost. After the night she had, Lotus had no desire to push him away.

"She's the one with magic. We carry, she hides."

Lotus nodded towards him, relief evident on her face. "Yeah. That sounds good."

Author's Note:

This week's awesome art by witchtaunter for the first piece, and Pridark! Totally sneaky, no possible complications here.

Comments

[Leaviathan]

Plan did not survive contact!
Another great chapter.

The attendant wasn't even watching them at first. She couldn't be out of high school yet, a teenager with messy blonde hair arranged in no particular way. She perched on the cigarette shelf behind the counter, staring down at her phone. Could she even hear them come in with the earbuds?

Should maybe change this to brown to match the picture
Or not of course, it doesn’t really matter.

[Doctor Hugo Jager]

Least strange thing to ever happen to an overnight gas station cashier

[SummerGem]

Well that went as well as I thought it would. Now I’m wondering how much worse it will get.

[redmar]

Their attempt to gather supplies was no success which is not surprising. Maybe if Gus hadn't been trying to get the cashier's attention it wouldn't have gone wrong so quickly. Let's hope the authorities won't look for them in their hideout.

[parlaptie]

I wonder if the clerk possibly heard about the housefire earlier or if this was just a gut reaction to being crept up on by strange creatures in the middle of the night.

[readsponies]

Man, now I want crappy AM/PM burgers.

[Cozy Mark IV]

I would have used scorn myself: "What? A 5'9" 150 lb person is scared of a 3 ft bird thing? Are Chihuahuas scary too?"
"What are you?!"
"Surprised a wimp like you made it out of middle school. Seriously, the mean girls at (local high school) will make your life hell if you can't grow a spine."

Scorn and insults displaying knowledge of the local area will make them think they're being pranked and the camera helps.

[backinpie]

Love the derp eyes in the frist pic.

[Xander Opal]

I don't know whether to laugh, facepalm, or both...

[harts fire]

well that was scary but yet worked out for now.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Yeah, witchtaunter was perfect for that first picture. Right in their preferred niche of boggling vacantly at shenanigans.

In any case, that certainly could have gone worse... though the consequences may go father than I suspect. Still, at least they have food for the next several days. Now it's just a matter of getting the portal open. Easier said than done, of course, but Lotus is making progress.

[new55]

That was a good chapter.

[Alyarin9000]

Gus be like
Damn, the people in this region are flighty! A crowd, sure - but so far only Gus has had a sane reaction I wonder what's circulating on social media...
Maybe Searing is causing enough destruction to make anyone terrified of magical creatures?
If only they'd managed to glance at a local newspaper, they could have found out more! Even from the front-page...

Either way, they've gotten away with it. For now...

[Ether Echoes]

Hah, Gus's obviously dumb plan failed, I appreciate the consequences!

Iron being very cute.

[Munro]

dam that picture is funny xD

[Poparakelis]

That cashier was probably from gen Z wasn't she?

[LonePigeon]

11645236
Certainly wasn't Gen X. They would likely not have batted an eye as long as there was enough cash there to pay for everything.

[Axel Azabash]

He stood up straight, then moved forward with a few jerky, mechanical footsteps. "Hello sir. We are... not animatronics. We are real. Yes. Alive. Please allow us to... purchase... snacks. Thank you."

This… yep, this is the kind of stupid its so stupid it might actually work. Shame the first casualty is usually the plan.